Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also wish the Leader of the House every happiness in the future. It is great to see the results of the referendum on marriage equality here in the Republic.It is to be hoped marriage equality will come shortly to every part of the Thirty-two Counties, where every citizen will have the right to have his or her love acknowledged. Well done to Senator Buttimer for the work he did during the marriage equality referendum campaign in Ireland.

I wish to raise one more important issue that is getting more and more media coverage and about which I am very concerned. I refer to issues relating to Dublin. We need to be very careful about plans to rebalance the economy away from Dublin. The Government is failing to understand the importance of Dublin, specifically to the Irish economy. Jobs lost in Dublin are lost to cities such as Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Luxembourg and Birmingham. They are not lost to small rural villages and towns across the country. Dublin competes on a European and a world platform, so to starve Dublin of investment in infrastructure and public transport will greatly damage the Irish economy.

Nearly 70% of all tax income is raised in the greater Dublin area. I increasingly see a bias developing within this Government against Dublin, and this will affect the Irish economy. I have had reasons before in the other House to warn Fine Gael Ministers not to rip off Dublin. Now I give the same warning not to strangle Dublin because it is at the heart of the economy of this country. If investment into infrastructure and public transport is strangled, the Government will damage the Irish economy.

I ask the Leader for a full debate on plans to rebalance the economy on this island. I for one have always stood in solidarity with rural Ireland and sought investment into rural Ireland. However, we also need that level of investment into our public transport, our roads and our housing in Dublin, and if that does not happen, this country will be the worse for it because we compete in Dublin on a world stage for foreign direct investment. One can see a growing bias in the media and from this Government against this city. I for one will stand up for Dublin. I am fed up listening to this attitude of "ye in Dublin" getting far too much. Dublin needs investment in its critical infrastructure and it needs it now. I seek a full debate in this House on economic plans for the city.